Women’s basketball is enjoying a growth phase not seen in decades, both on and off the court, with Team USA leading the charge. This is being reflected in soaring viewership numbers not just for WNBA games, but for Team USA games at the ongoing FIBA World Cup as well. The latest broadcaster data has shown that Team USA’s three group-stage games on TNT Sports shattered viewership records.

With USA preparing to take on Spain in the semifinals, TNT Sports’ U.S. PR page on X posted about the records broken by Team USA on September 10. The broadcaster, who hold the exclusive rights to the American FIBA broadcast in the region, posted some jaw-dropping numbers for the games versus Italy, Czechia, and China.

The opening group-stage game featuring the USA versus China averaged 577k viewers on TNT Sports, with a peak viewership of 694k, making it the third most-watched FIBA Women’s World Cup game ever. It was also the third most-watched women’s basketball game ever on TNT Sports.

Then Sunday’s USA versus Italy game averaged 1.3 million viewers, with peak viewership of 1.7 million, which made it the most-watched FIBA Women’s World Cup game ever, while becoming the most-watched women’s basketball game ever on TNT Sports.

Team USA’s Monday matchup against Czechia came close to surpassing the record viewership of the previous game against Italy. The game averaged 1.2 million viewers and peaked at a viewership of 1.4 million, making it the second most-watched game in FIBA Women’s World Cup history. It also became the second most-watched women’s basketball game ever in TNT Sports history.

For the last two years, the USA’s youngest stars like Caitlin Clark have helped boost the WNBA’s viewership to record-breaking highs. It started with the 2024 WNBA Draft, which averaged 2.45 million viewers on ESPN, peaking at 3.05 million, shattering the previous 601,000 mark set in 2004.

The records kept coming once the regular season started. In 2024, the total viewership across ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION, and NBA TV surpassed 54 million viewers, and the league has continued to set records this season as well. In August of this year, ESPN set an all-time cable record for a WNBA game when the Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream 95-91. The network averaged 2.6 million viewers, and the game peaked at 4.0 million viewers.

While Team USA’s roster is packed with WNBA talent, group stage games delivering record viewership numbers mean that the growth momentum of women’s basketball is growing as a whole.

Judging by the current pace, it’s very likely that we may witness another viewership record being broken as Team USA just rolled past Hungary in the quarterfinals.

Team USA Steamrolling Towards A Fifth Title After Record-Breaking Performance In The Quarterfinals

The defending champions delivered a historic display in the quarterfinals, surpassing several FIBA milestones in just one game.

Silencing the skeptics, the United States reaffirmed its status as the gold standard in Berlin. After a shaky group-stage escape against Italy that raised eyebrows about their gameplay across the global basketball landscape, especially their shooting efficiency, the Americans have been utterly flawless ever since.

Team USA issued a warning to their upcoming opponents with a 108–56 thrashing of Hungary. The historic rout, while shattering multiple tournament records, served as a rebuff to being knocked off the top spot in the Women’s World Cup Power Rankings.

It was a complete team effort, with five US players reaching double figures. Leading the charge was Napheesa Collier, whose 19-point, six-rebound display earned her TCL Player of the Game honors.

Not only did the United States set an all-time Women’s World Cup quarterfinal scoring high with 108 points, but they also became the first team in tournament history to eclipse 30 assists in the round.

The US dropped 59 points in the first two quarters, establishing a new Women’s World Cup quarterfinal record, while rewriting its own record for most points in the opening half of a knockout game. Clutched in a 59–30 stranglehold at halftime, the 29-point gap eclipsed all previous quarterfinal records for largest interval lead.

According to FIBA, the U.S. now accounts for four of the five highest-scoring knockout performances in Women’s World Cup history since the format was introduced in 1986.

With the semifinals bracket now set, Team USA will look to continue the winning momentum against Spain, with the United States having made it to the top four for a staggering 13th tournament running.

Having made the semifinals of every single tournament since the format was adopted in 1986—an unbroken streak of 11 appearances—USA will now shift focus towards securing a place in a fifth straight World Cup Final.

Spain returns to the semifinals after a one-tournament absence, having previously strung together three consecutive appearances from 2010 through 2018.

That run included a 2010 final-four clash against the United States, and the Spaniards now target their second-ever trip to the title game after claiming silver in 2014. Waiting for the winner in the championship showdown will be either France or host nation Germany.

So fans have plenty of reasons to look forward to the semifinals, and broadcasters will once again hope for record viewership numbers.